Why do most women over 55 have short hair?

[HeadFairy]

Are we not allowed to have long hair when we're older? Is there some rule that says you must have a short perm? Just seen a troop of older women coming in to the office and not one of them had hair longer than a couple of inches.

I've often wondered this, I think most of the time it's very unflattering.

Love to see older ladies with chic straight silver bobs!

It's either the classic old lady perm or the funky grandmother look, spiky, with pointy sideburn bits and lots of stripey colour. Is it like North Korea? Can they only choose between two hair cuts or face sanctions?

It's because we're always being told that you can't have longer hair when you're older, it's just so unflattering. Ditto that you must make your hair lighter as you age. These are The Rules

Cos theyre brainwashed into thinking that its the done thing/is compulsory to have it all chopped off after a certain age . I absolutely hate the 'certain-age crop', and even worse if its combined with 'the perm'. Yuk Yuk Yuk. It can age a woman soooooo much.

no. It is because for many - not all- women when they reach 55 their face will unfortunately start to sag a bit.
Once you have a slightly ( or very) saggy face long hair can make that look worse and actually can make you look older.

I think modern products and cutting techniques mean that this is much less true now. But until you have seen how unflattering long heavy hair can look when it is framing a sagging face then you don't really get it.

Our mothers and older women in general are not some dimwits who choose a haircut according to social pressure. They just looked in the mirror and realised that longer hair ( for some of them) drags their face down and ages them.

I have no rational explaination for the blue rinse though

I'm going to keep my long hair forever

I want to shout 'you go girl' but am too old

But this is much more flattering than Funky Grandma cut

Headfairy - me too

Pag, it's only glossy cos I'm pg... I'll be back to my greasy roots and dry ends after Christmas

I htink hair gets really brittle?

harder to style etc?

i have granny hair already tis short and curly. am only 28

but no blue rinse

I am keeping mine long forever. I love Emma Thompsoms mum (sorry, name has floated away from my memory), she lookks FAB.

I think it's also because your hair thins as you get older. As someone with crappy thin hair, it looks ratty if you try to grow it too long. You have to keep it short.

I would rather have a face lift than short hair

Inane - Phillida Law

My hair has gone, but not my memory

Much more coarse now (I'm 47) - just looks better shorter. Not blue though!

Headfairy. don't worry .

People won't notice it is greasy. they will be focussing on the baby puke matted in the back.

Merry christmas

I'm 53; I have it very short because it suits me better that way, but then I've had it short since I was 21. In fact the photo I take to the hairdresser is one taken on my honeymoon, when I was 23. I've experimented with longer styles since then, but they really don't work for me.

Incidentally I don't know anyone around my age with a traditional perm, let alone a blue rinse.

My theory is that most women "of a certain age" revert to the hairstyle that was fashionable when they were younger.

In the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, fashioable hairstyles tended to be short and permed - hence women who were in their 20s in those decades associate that look with being young and fashionable.

Just a theory.

In other countries, the short grey perm look is nowhere near as ubiquitous.

hahaha pag! I know, I'll be back to the insignificant milk machine come Christmas

i think its a left over form having short hair as was common in the 80s their formative years

I'm an older lady, never had a perm or a blue rinse (but do have colour put in from time to time) and have always had short hair - never ever longer than chin length.
I know a few people of my age or similar with mid length hair and long hair (generally put up in a french pleat or similar) but no perms.

Not too sure about short & permed being fashionable in the 60's & 70's - how about Twiggy? Cathy McGowan? Sandie Shaw? Mary Quant's Vidal Sassoon 5 point cut? Those are the styles I remember.

In the early 70's without GHD's my older sister ironed her hair - then there was the 'Farrah' feathered cut.

Perms didn't really come back in till the late 70's/early 80's with the bubble perm & that was pretty repulsive short-lived.

My mum has very thin fine hair that has got thinner and finer as she has got older she has to wear it short and angled over her head because otherwise she would look like she has some hairloss because its so thin. I think you have to have very thick strong hair to wear it longer as you get older.

my 82 year old mil has a blonde bob, i made her stop getting perms as she used to look mad with them.

looks so much nicer straight and bobbed.